Vacuum cleaner cleaning head.

SUBMISSION NUMBER

Internat, classif. Date of grant

09300950

A47L

July

The Minister of Economic Affairs

Having regard to the Law of 28 March 1984 on inventive patents, in particular Article 22;

Having regard to the Royal Decree of 2 December 1986, concerning the filing, granting and maintenance of inventive patents, in particular article 28;

Having regard to the official report drawn up by the Industrial Property Office on 10 September 1993 in LOOO

DECISION:

ARTICLE 1.- The following will be awarded to: PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NV Groenewoudseweg 1, NL-5621 BA EINDHOVEN (THE NETHERLANDS) represented by: STEENBEEK L., INTERNATIONAL PATENT OFFICE, PO Box 220 NL 5600 AE EINDHOVEN.

an invention patent for a period of 20 years, subject to payment of the annual fees for: SUCTION CUP, AND SPRAY ORGAN SUITABLE FOR APPLICATION IN SUCH A VACUUM FILLER AND VACUUM CLEANER WITH SUCH VACUUM HOSE.

INVENTOR (S): Nijland Everardus J., Satellietenlaan 26, NL-7904 LP Hoogeveen (NL); Maas Wilhelmus JJ, Keizerstraat 45, NL-5711 TT Someren (NL)

ARTICLE 2.- This patent has been granted without prior examination of its patentability, without warranty of its value or the correctness of the description of the invention and at the applicant's own risk.

Brussels. , July 11, 1995

BY SPECIAL AUTHORIZATION:

July

Director

3 00950 AA

Suction aid, as well as spray device suitable for use in such a suction aid and vacuum cleaner provided with such a suction aid.

The invention relates to a suction aid for a vacuum cleaner, which suction aid is provided with an underpressure chamber, which contains a suction opening and a discharge channel for connection to a suction unit, and an inner chamber arranged in the underpressure chamber, which contains a supply channel for cleaning liquid and a spraying device for spreading the cleaning liquid over an opening of the inner chamber extending near the suction opening.

The invention also relates to a spraying device suitable for use in a suction aid according to the invention.

The invention also relates to a vacuum cleaner having a suction aid according to the invention.

A suction aid of the type mentioned in the preamble is known from European patent 0 316 849. The known suction aid has an elongated negative pressure chamber and an also elongated inner chamber, which extends through a central plane of the negative pressure chamber, the suction opening of the negative pressure chamber and the opening of the inner chamber extend in one plane. The spraying device of the known suction aid comprises a distribution chamber for the cleaning liquid arranged in the inner chamber, into which the supply channel for the cleaning liquid opens. The distribution chamber is bounded by a T-shaped sealing strip extending parallel to the suction opening, the cheeks of which are provided with a regular pattern of cuts. The distribution chamber is filled with the cleaning liquid via the supply channel. When the distribution chamber is almost full, under the influence of a liquid pressure built up in the distribution chamber, a continuous and sufficient flow of the cleaning liquid is created via the incisions of the sealing strip and the opening of the inner chamber to a surface to be cleaned. By using the said sealing strip, the cleaning liquid is spread almost uniformly over the opening of the inner chamber and the surface to be cleaned.

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A drawback of the known suction aid is that a continuous and sufficient flow of the cleaning liquid is only achieved if the distribution chamber of the spraying device is almost full. Due to the presence of the cleaning fluid in the distribution chamber, the weight a user should lift when moving the suction tool and the propulsion force the user should exert on the suction tool when sliding the suction tool over it to be cleaned surface, relatively high, so that the ease of use of the suction aid is impaired. In addition, the known suction aid drips after use, because there is still cleaning liquid in the distribution chamber, which gradually flows out along the closing strip.

An object of the invention is to provide a suction aid of the type mentioned in the preamble, which avoids the drawbacks mentioned above, so that the ease of use of the suction aid is increased.

To this end, the invention is characterized in that the spraying device comprises a radiation plate extending substantially parallel to a side wall of the inner chamber, which is arranged near an upper side of the inner chamber centrally relative to the opening of the inner chamber and can be irradiated with the cleaning liquid from a spray opening communicating with the feed channel. By using said radiation plate and said spray opening, a flat liquid jet diverging from the radiation plate is provided in the inner chamber, which is directed substantially parallel to the radiation plate and the side wall of the inner chamber. In this way, the cleaning liquid is spread over a large part of the opening of the inner chamber. The cleaning liquid flows from the supply channel and the spray opening directly onto the jet plate, so that a negligible amount of cleaning liquid is contained in the suction aid.

A special embodiment of a suction aid according to the invention is characterized in that the radiation plate is semicircular, wherein a radiation point of the radiation plate is located near a circular center of the radiation plate. By using the semicircular beam plate with the beam point located near the circle center, a substantially uniform density and a precisely determined divergence angle of the liquid jet in the inner chamber are provided.

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A further embodiment of a suction aid according to the invention is characterized in that the spray opening is connected to the supply channel by means of a transverse channel extending transversely to the supply channel. By using the transverse channel, the radiation plate can be irradiated with the cleaning liquid at a precisely determined radiation angle and the radiation plate has a precisely determined radiation point.

A still further embodiment of a suction aid according to the invention is characterized in that the transverse channel near the spray opening merges into a guide surface oriented parallel to the transverse channel, which connects to the radiation plate via a curvature near the circle center of the radiation plate. By using the said guide surface and the curvature, the cleaning liquid coming out of the transverse channel is bent in a direction determined by the guide surface and the curvature and regularly distributed over the radiation plate, so that a particularly flat and precisely directed liquid jet is provided in the inner chamber.

A special embodiment of a suction aid according to the invention is characterized in that the supply channel, the cross channel and the radiation plate form a one-piece part, which is releasably attached to the top of the inner chamber. By using the said one-piece part, a simple and quick manufacture and assembly of the suction aid is provided.

A further embodiment of a suction aid according to the invention, in which the transverse channel of the spraying member is formed in a simple and practical manner, is characterized in that the transverse channel is delimited by a recess with a semicircular cross section, which is arranged in said part, and through a flat wall arranged near the top of the inner chamber.

A still further embodiment of a suction aid according to the invention is characterized in that the inner chamber has two triangular side walls extending substantially parallel to the radiation plate, the radiation plate being arranged near the apexes of the two triangles, while the opening of the inner chamber is between the bases of the two triangles. By using the said side walls, the inner chamber has a shape which corresponds to the shape of a liquid jet to be generated in the inner chamber. In this way, a compact construction of the suction aid is provided, with the liquid jet over

09300950 almost the entire opening of the inner chamber is spread.

A vacuum cleaner, which has a suction aid according to the invention, is characterized in that the vacuum cleaner is provided with a suction unit, which can be connected via a liquid separator to the discharge channel of the vacuum chamber of the suction aid, and a container for a cleaning liquid, which is liquid pump is connectable to the supply channel of the inner chamber of the suction tool. The cleaning liquid, which is supplied by the liquid pump through the inner chamber of the suction aid to a surface to be cleaned, is sucked up by the suction unit through the vacuum chamber of the suction aid and separated by the liquid separator from the air sucked up with the cleaning liquid. In this way it is prevented that the cleaning liquid is sucked into the suction unit.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, in which

Figure 1 shows a front view of a suction aid according to the invention,

Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the suction aid according to the line Π-Π in Figure 1,

Figure 3 shows a cross-section of a spraying device of the suction aid along the line ΙΠ-ΠΙ in Figure 1,

Figure 4 shows a front view of the spraying device according to Figure 3, and

Figure 5 schematically shows a vacuum cleaner provided with a suction aid according to Figure 1.

The suction aid 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a plastic housing 3 and a plastic mouthpiece 5, which is fastened to the housing 3 by means of a screw connection not shown in Figures 1 and 2. Inside the housing 3 there is a vacuum chamber 7, which is connected to a pipe-shaped discharge channel 9 with which the suction aid 1 can be connected to a suction unit of a vacuum cleaner in a manner to be described in more detail below. Located in the vacuum chamber 7

An inner chamber 11 divides the underpressure chamber 7 into a front compartment 13 and a rear compartment 15. As shown in Figure 1, the front and rear compartments 13 and 15 are interconnected via a the underpressure chamber 7 belonging to the passage 17, which extends between an upper side 19 of the inner chamber 11 and an upper side 21 of the underpressure chamber 7, so that both compartments 13 and 15 are connected to the discharge channel 9.

As shown in Figure 2, the front and rear compartments 13 and 15 near the mouthpiece 5 open into a front suction opening 23 and a rear suction opening 25, respectively, which extend in a common plane. The nozzle 5 is further provided with a front suction chamber 27 and a rear suction chamber 29, which communicate with the surroundings of the suction aid 1 by means of slotted suction openings 31 and 33. In Figure 1, the slot-shaped suction openings 31 of the front suction chamber 27 are visible. The nozzle 5 further comprises a front girder 35 and a rear girder 37, which are provided with sliding surfaces 39 and 41 at the bottom. The sliding surfaces 39 and 41 extend in the common plane of the suction openings 23 and 25. As further shown in Figure 2, the front suction chamber 27 is provided with a sliding surface 43 with slotted passage openings 45 near a bottom side, while the rear suction chamber 29 is provided near a bottom side with a sliding surface 47 with slit-shaped passage openings 49. The sliding surfaces 43 and 47 also extend in the common plane of the suction openings 23 and 25. In Figure 1, only the slit-shaped passage openings 45 of the front suction chamber 27 are visible.

If the suction aid 1 is connected via the discharge channel 9 to a suction unit of a vacuum cleaner and the suction aid 1 with the sliding surfaces 39, 41, 43 and 47 is placed on a surface to be cleaned, which is not shown in Figures 1 and 2, there is an underpressure in the vacuum chamber 7 under the influence of the suction effect of the suction unit. As a result of this underpressure, an air flow is created, which flows from the front and rear suction chambers 27 and 29 through the through-holes 45 and 49 along the sliding surfaces 39 and 41, the suction chambers 27 and 29 providing air from the vicinity of the suction aid 1 through the suction openings 31 and 33. Since the sliding surfaces 39 and 41 are placed on the surface to be cleaned, dust and dirt particles, which are present on the said surface, are entrained by the said air flow and via the

09300050 negative pressure chamber Ί and the discharge channel 9 discharged to the suction unit.

As further shown in Figures 1 and 2, the inner chamber 11 has a front triangular side wall 51 and a rear triangular side wall 53, with the side walls 51 and 53 being substantially parallel. The top 19 and side walls 51 and 53 of the inner chamber 11 form one part with the mouthpiece 5, which includes the girders 35 and 37 and the sliding surfaces 43 and 47 of the front and rear suction chambers 27 and 29. The side walls 51 and 53 are connected to the front and rear beams 35 and 37 by transverse partitions 55 and 57, respectively. Figure 2 further shows that the housing 3 of the suction aid 1 and the discharge channel 9 also form one part, for which a top wall 59 of the front suction chamber 27, a top wall 61 of the rear suction chamber 29, a dividing wall 63 between the front compartment 13 furthermore and the front suction chamber 27, and a dividing wall 65 between the rear compartment 15 and the rear suction chamber 29. The partition walls 63 and 65 belonging to the housing 3 are arranged in positioning grooves 67 and 69 of the front and rear girders 35 and 37, with a sealing element 71 between the partition walls 63, 65 and the girders 35, 37 for a hermetic separation between the vacuum chamber 7 and the suction chambers 27 and

29.

As further shown in Figures 1 and 2, a spraying member 73 is arranged near the top 19 of the inner chamber 11. The spraying member 73 is located between the apex corners of the triangular side walls 51, 53 of the inner chamber 11, so that the spraying member 73 is centrally disposed with respect to an opening 75 of the inner chamber 11, which opening 75 is also in the common plane of the suction openings 23, 25 extends between the bases of the triangular side walls 51 and 53. The spraying member 73 is connected to a cleaning fluid supply channel 77, which is connectable to a cleaning fluid container of a vacuum cleaner in a manner to be described hereinafter.

The spraying member 73 is shown in detail in Figures 3 and 4. The spraying member 73 includes a semicircular irradiation plate 79 having a circular center point 81 disposed in an opening 82 in the top 19 of the inner chamber 11.

As Figures 2 and 3 show, the blasting plate 79 extends substantially parallel to the parallel side walls 51 and 53 of the inner chamber 11. The cleaning fluid supply channel 77 includes a nipple 83 associated with the spraying member 73 with

09300050 a longitudinal axis 85 directed approximately parallel to the radiation plate 79. The nipple 83 connects to a feed-through channel 87, which is arranged in a base block 89 of the spraying member 73. As Figures 3 and 4 show, the spraying member 73 further comprises a transverse channel 91, which is delimited by a semicircular cross-section recess 93 disposed in the base block 89 and by a flat wall 95 disposed in the top 21 of the housing 3. The transverse channel 91 contains a longitudinal axis 97, which encloses a beam angle α of approximately 105 ° with the beam plate 79. If the suction aid 1 is connected via the nipple 83 to a container for cleaning liquid of a vacuum cleaner and the cleaning liquid is supplied from the container under pressure via the nipple 83, the blasting plate 79 is irradiated with the cleaning liquid at an angle through a by an end spray opening 99 formed of the cross channel 91, which is connected to the nipple 83 via the cross channel 91 and the feed-through channel 87. Thus, a flat liquid jet 101 diverging from the radiation plate 79 is formed in the inner chamber 11, as shown in Figure 4. The diverging liquid jet 101 is directed substantially parallel to the radiation plate 79 and the side walls 51 and 53 of the inner chamber 11, so that the nipple 83 supplied cleaning liquid is spread over the opening 75 of the inner chamber 11 and over the surface to be cleaned which is present near the opening 75.

As shown in Figure 4, the irradiation plate 79 is irradiated at an irradiation point 103, which substantially coincides with the circular center 81 of the irradiation plate 79. The density of the liquid jet 101 in the inner chamber 11 is substantially uniform, while a precisely determined divergence angle δ of the liquid jet 101 is reached (see figure 4). As shown further in Figure 3, the transverse channel 91 near the spray opening 99 merges into a guide surface 105 oriented parallel to the transverse channel 91, which connects via a curvature 107 to the radiation plate 79, the curvature 107 being located near the circle center 81 of the radiation plate 79. The cleaning liquid, which emerges from the spray opening 99, is passed further through the guide surface 105 and the curvature 107, is bent in a direction parallel to the blasting plate 79, and is evenly distributed over the blasting plate 79. Thus, a particularly flat jet of liquid 101 is created in the inner chamber , and the liquid jet 101 is moreover substantially symmetrical with respect to a symmetry plane 109 of the suction aid 1 shown in figure 4, which is passed through the

09300950 longitudinal axis 85 of the nipple 83. By an optimal design of the beam angle α, which is precisely determined by the angle that the longitudinal axis 97 of the cross channel 91 encloses with the beam plate 79, the radius of curvature of the curvature 107, the radius of the semicircular beam plate 79, and the pressure of the supplied cleaning liquid, a divergence angle δ of the liquid jet 101 is reached, which is substantially equal to the top angle of the triangular side walls 51, 53 of the inner chamber 11. Thus, the cleaning liquid is uniformly distributed over almost the entire width B of the opening 75 of the inner chamber 11 (see figure 1), so that a large part of the surface to be cleaned is treated with cleaning liquid.

It is noted that in operation only a small amount of cleaning liquid is present in the nipple 83, the feed-through channel 87 and the transverse channel 91. Therefore, after the use of the suction aid 1, the suction aid 1 hardly drips afterwards. The weight of the cleaning fluid contained in the nipple 83, the feed-through channel 87 and the cross-channel 91 is negligible and thus does not affect the total weight of the suction aid 1 and the pushing force required to move the suction aid 1 over the surface to be cleaned. .

As further shown in Figure 3, the blasting plate 79 associated with the spraying member 73, the guide surface 105, the base block 89 with the transverse channel 91 and the feed-through channel 87, and the nipple 83 form a one-piece molded plastic molded part. Said part also includes a mounting plate 111 and a mounting bracket 113, by means of which the spraying member 73 is detachably mounted in a chamber 115 belonging to the housing 3. Figure 3 further shows a cap 117, by means of which the chamber 115 can be closed. The one-piece spraying member 73 and the cap 117 can be quickly and easily fitted into the chamber 115. The transverse channel 91 is formed between the base block 89 and the base block 89 during mounting of the spraying member 73 in the manner previously described. flat wall 95.

Figure 5 schematically shows a vacuum cleaner 119, which is provided with a suction aid 1 as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The vacuum cleaner 119 is provided with a suction unit 121 with an electric motor 123, a blade wheel 125 drivable by the electric motor 123 and a dust compartment 127. The suction unit 121 is connected via a channel 129 to a liquid separator 131. As further shown in figure 5, the discharge channel 9 of the suction aid 1 is

09300950 connected to a hollow stem 133, which is provided at one end with a handle 135. The hollow stem 133 is connected via a flexible hose 137 to an inlet 139 of the liquid separator 131. The vacuum cleaner 119 is further provided with a holder 141 for a cleaning fluid. The container 141 is connected via a conduit 143 to an electric liquid pump 143, which is connected via a flexible conduit 145 arranged parallel to the hose 137 and the stem 133 to the supply channel 77 of the suction aid 1. In operation, the cleaning liquid by means of the liquid pump 143 from the holder 141 under pressure to the suction aid 1.

The cleaning liquid supplied to the surface to be cleaned is sucked up together with the dust and dirt particles on the said surface through the suction aid 1 and is discharged via the hose 137 to the liquid separator 131 under the influence of an underpressure, which is present in the suction aid 1 and in the liquid separator 131 is generated by the suction action of the impeller 125 driven by the electric motor 123. In the liquid separator 131, the suctioned cleaning liquid with the dust and dirt particles dissolved therein is collected under the influence of gravity in a bottom part 147 of the liquid separator 131. The remaining dust and dirt particles are drawn into the channel 129 via a float chamber 149, which prevents that the cleaning liquid is drawn into the channel 129 and into the suction unit 121 when the liquid separator 131 is full. Finally, the dust and dirt particles sucked into the channel 129 in the dust compartment 127 are filtered from the air flow and collected.

It is noted that the spraying member 73 described above can also be used in a suction aid, in which the inner chamber and the depression chamber are mutually arranged differently from the inner chamber 11 and the depression chamber 7 of the suction aid 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2. For example, the inner chamber and the depression chamber may have a common side wall. Furthermore, the inner chamber can also be provided with non-parallel side walls, which, for example, differ from the top of the inner chamber towards the opening of the inner chamber. The side walls of the inner chamber can also have a different shape, such as for instance a rectangular shape or the shape of a parallelogram.

It is further noted that, depending on the desired shape of the liquid jet to be generated in the inner chamber, the radiation plate may have a different shape, such as, for example, the shape of an ellipse, or of a square or a

09300950 ίο rectangle with rounded corners.

Finally, it is noted that the cross channel can also have a different cross-section, such as, for example, a square or circular cross-section. The spraying device can also be carried out without a cross channel. For example, the spray opening can also be arranged in a side wall of the supply channel.

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